Mooresville's multifaceted party spot

You’ll feel like Huck Finn as you leave your troubles behind and glide across Lake Norman on the Catawba Queen. And that’s just what Jack Williams was hoping. This seafaring adventurer, who’s fished peacock bass on the Amazon and hooked a hammerhead shark near Miami, says his love of the water first drew him here. But it’s his entrepreneurial spirit that soared when he took a spin on the Catawba Queen decades ago. “When my wife and I came over and rode the Catawba Queen, I told her ‘I’m gonna buy this boat some day.’ She laughed,” he says, with a grin. But true to his word, Williams bought not only the boat, but also a plot of land in Mooresville with business partner Bud Lancaster in 1991. Back then, it was a riverboat docked at the end of a long, dirt road. Yet Williams wanted to make this parcel into more than just a ride around the lake. What began as casual conversation and drawings on paper materialized, little by little, into the Queen’s Landing, one of Lake Norman’s most multi-faceted destinations. The heart of the complex remains the Catawba Queen, a classic Mississippi paddle boat. There’s also Lady Of The Lake, a sleek 90-foot yacht. Both vessels are available for dinner and sightseeing cruises, and they can also be chartered for private events such as weddings, parties and corporate functions. In addition, there’s a miniature golf course, Jack’s Lakeside Grill, which serves snacks and ice cream, the Melanie L. Williams Amphitheater, which hosts concerts, the new Saragoni’s Italian restaurant, and finally the lake’s only floating dock bar, the perfect spot to grab a cold drink on a hot summer day. And you know Huck would be up for that. For information go to www.queenslanding.com

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